Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri articles from March 2012

Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri archives from March 2012

SDF ordered to shoot down missile.
March 31, 2012... SDF ordered to shoot down missile Yomiuri Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka on Friday issued an order to the Self-Defense Forces to intercept a North Korean missile, if necessary, to prevent it or its fragments from falling within Japanese...

F-15s to be sent to guard Aegis ships.
March 31, 2012... F-15s to be sent to guard Aegis ships Yomiuri The Defense Ministry has decided to send F-15 fighters to guard Aegis destroyers to be deployed in preparation for the scheduled launch of a North Korean missile, government sources have said....

Cabinet OK's consumption tax hike / Comprehensive tax incr.
March 31, 2012... Cabinet OK's consumption tax hike / Comprehensive tax increase, pension reform bills submitted to the Diet Yomiuri The Cabinet on Friday endorsed bills to raise the consumption tax rate, which were submitted to the Diet later that day. ...

EDITORIAL / Justice minister fulfills heavy responsibility.(Editorial)
March 31, 2012... EDITORIAL / Justice minister fulfills heavy responsibility Yomiuri Three death-row inmates were executed Thursday. They were the first executions under the Democratic Party of Japan-led government in 20 months since two inmates were...

EDITORIAL / Start of pro baseball season invigorates the n.(Editorial)
March 31, 2012... EDITORIAL / Start of pro baseball season invigorates the nation Yomiuri The 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball season begins Friday in both the Central League and the Pacific League. There are high hopes that the pennant race will be filled...

Winning Skytree tickets have maximum odds of 1-in-335.
March 31, 2012... Winning Skytree tickets have maximum odds of 1-in-335 Yomiuri The chances of winning a ticket for admission to the Tokyo Skytree for the most popular time were 1-in-335 for online applications, the tower's operator, Tobu Tower Skytree Co.,...

Acceptance, concern over tax rate hike.
March 31, 2012... Acceptance, concern over tax rate hike Yomiuri Reactions were mixed as the Cabinet on Friday finally approved bills to raise the consumption tax rate: Students and parents with small children do not want future generations to be shouldered...

PNP in disarray over tax bills / Members question Kamei's.
March 31, 2012... PNP in disarray over tax bills / Members question Kamei's leadership, want to stay in coalition Yomiuri A rift within the People's New Party, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, widened Friday when the...

Fishermen worried over possible cuts in debris program.
March 31, 2012... Fishermen worried over possible cuts in debris program Yomiuri A government program that provides more than 10,000 yen per person in wages for debris removal at fishing points in areas hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami...

Chilean president hopes for cooperation with Japan.
March 31, 2012... Chilean president hopes for cooperation with Japan Masahiro Fukasawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Visiting Chilean President Sebastian Pinera told The Yomiuri Shimbun this week that the country will actively cooperate with...

Retrial requests postpone executions.
March 31, 2012... Retrial requests postpone executions Yomiuri Justice Minister Toshiro Ogawa has avoided providing any concrete explanations regarding why the three death-row convicts executed Thursday were selected, stating only that he excluded...

Executions Made after Careful Preparation / Ogawa Made Adv
March 31, 2012... Executions made after careful preparation / Ogawa made advance plans before the capital punishment of 3 men was enforced Makoto Inagaki and Eita Hagiwara / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri The Democratic Party of Japan, which...

Missile has SDF, Okinawa residents on alert.
March 31, 2012... Missile has SDF, Okinawa residents on alert Yomiuri The Self-Defense Forces have been on alert and residents of Okinawa Prefecture voiced anger over a long-range ballistic missile that North Korea is likely to fire, claiming it is a rocket...

Daio faces tough management / Firm must keep relations wit.
March 31, 2012... Daio faces tough management / Firm must keep relations with 18 group companies out of its control Yomiuri Daio Paper Corp. will end negotiations today to buy its founding family's shareholdings in the company's subsidiaries in a bid to...

Businesses laud tax hike, criticize other fiscal efforts.
March 31, 2012... Businesses laud tax hike, criticize other fiscal efforts Yomiuri Major business associations welcomed Friday's Cabinet approval of bills to raise the consumption tax and called for early passage of the bills in the Diet, but also...

EDUCATION RENAISSANCE / Schools turn to mock exams for enr.
March 31, 2012... EDUCATION RENAISSANCE / Schools turn to mock exams for enrollment boost Kimiyasu Ishizuka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer column KYOTO This is a translation from The Yomiuri Shimbun's Education Renaissance series. This article--the...

Yumoto, 3 others set for Olympic wrestle-off.
March 31, 2012... Yumoto, 3 others set for Olympic wrestle-off The Daily Yomiuri column World bronze medalist Kenichi Yumoto will need to win just one match as the Japan Wrestling Federation on Friday announced the format for the playoff to fill the...

Mariner-mania / Opening Series allows Japan to express lov.
March 31, 2012... Mariner-mania / Opening Series allows Japan to express love for Seattle, Ichiro John E. Gibson / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column Not even a few home runs to break up a shutout in Game 2 of Major League Baseball's Opening Series could...

NPB a growing destination.
March 31, 2012... NPB a growing destination John E. Gibson / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column There's a twist on the big league dreams forming out there, it seems. It's different from the one Japanese players had--the one in which they uprooted,...

Japan looks to restore pride at home sevens.
March 31, 2012... Japan looks to restore pride at home sevens Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column For Wataru Murata and his Japan team, this weekend's Tokyo Sevens is simply a case of trying to restore some pride following a disappointing...

1st executions in 20 months carried out / Ogawa orders dea.
March 30, 2012... 1st executions in 20 months carried out / Ogawa orders deaths of 3 murderers Yomiuri The Justice Ministry announced Thursday that three death-row murder convicts were executed in the morning at the detention houses where they had been held...

Report calls for careful approach to 'gap term'.(Report)
March 30, 2012... Report calls for careful approach to 'gap term' Yomiuri The University of Tokyo, which aims to shift enrollment for its undergraduate programs from April to autumn, should carefully consider how best to deal with prospective students who...

EDITORIAL / Open the door more widely to motivated foreign.(Editorial)
March 30, 2012... EDITORIAL / Open the door more widely to motivated foreigners Yomiuri The health ministry has announced the successful candidates for this year's national qualification examinations for certified nurses and nursing care workers. Among...

EDITORIAL / Tax hike opponents should fall into line.(Editorial)
March 30, 2012... EDITORIAL / Tax hike opponents should fall into line Yomiuri After nights of heated discussions, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan has finally approved bills to raise the consumption tax rate. The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko...

New rights eyed for publishers / Would enable firms to sue.
March 30, 2012... New rights eyed for publishers / Would enable firms to sue over illegal copies of digital work Yomiuri A study group comprising major publishing companies, writers and Diet members has agreed to establish "original edition rights" to...

Noda, Maehara, Koshiishi have heated debate over tax hike/.
March 30, 2012... Noda, Maehara, Koshiishi have heated debate over tax hike Yomiuri Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi and DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Seiji Maehara were engaged in a...

Hurdles still high for foreign caregivers.
March 30, 2012... Hurdles still high for foreign caregivers Hirofumi Noguchi and Keishi Takahashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri Although the health ministry announced that 36 certified care worker candidates from Indonesia and the Philippines...

Italian premier: Financial crisis over.
March 30, 2012... Italian premier: Financial crisis over Akio Oikawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Visiting Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti told The Yomiuri Shimbun this week that his government has already overcome its financial crisis,...

The Ichiro show / Veteran Mariner puts on hitting clinic i.
March 30, 2012... The Ichiro show / Veteran Mariner puts on hitting clinic in Tokyo triumph over A's Jim Allen / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column Ichiro Suzuki gave the fans what they came for. Suzuki filled Tokyo Dome for his first official major...

Giants armed & dangerous to CL rivals.
March 30, 2012... Giants armed & dangerous to CL rivals John E. Gibson / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column Offseason pickups have turned the always-high expectations for the Yomiuri Giants into a Japan Series-or-bust year. And the Giants are ready...

Japan will get more chances.
March 30, 2012... Japan will get more chances Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column International Rugby Board Tournament Operations Manager Beth Colter said Thursday that countries such as Japan would still have a chance to break into the big...

Tokyo rejoins sevens world after 11-year absence.
March 30, 2012... Tokyo rejoins sevens world after 11-year absence Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column The Tokyo Sevens returns to the world stage after an 11-year hiatus Saturday, when New Zealand takes on the United States in the opening...

After 62 basho, Kakuryu wins promotion to ozeki.
March 29, 2012... After 62 basho, Kakuryu wins promotion to ozeki Yomiuri OSAKA OSAKA--The Japan Sumo Association formally decided Wednesday to promote sekiwake Kakuryu to sumo's second-highest rank of ozeki, giving the national sport six active ozeki...

MLB starts 2012 season in Tokyo.
March 29, 2012... MLB starts 2012 season in Tokyo Jim Allen / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Major League Baseball was once again the focus Wednesday, when the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics opened their regular seasons at Tokyo Dome in the...

High school texts bulk up with 12% more pages.
March 29, 2012... High school texts bulk up with 12% more pages Yomiuri The average number of pages in high school textbooks to be used from next spring will increase by 11.9 percent compared to those being used now, according to the results of textbook...

EDITORIAL / Government must better protect nuclear power p.(Editorial)
March 29, 2012... EDITORIAL / Government must better protect nuclear power plants Yomiuri The government urgently needs to beef up security measures to protect important equipment, nuclear materials and information from terrorist attacks on nuclear...

EDITORIAL / Dangerous Futenma base must not become permane.(Editorial)
March 29, 2012... EDITORIAL / Dangerous Futenma base must not become permanent Yomiuri The dangerous situation caused by the present location of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in a populous area of Okinawa Prefecture must not be allowed to...

Base relocation to Henoko 'impossible'.
March 29, 2012... Base relocation to Henoko 'impossible' Yomiuri In the official opinion of Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, the proposed relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within the prefecture is virtually "impossible." Nakaima...

Noda's visit to Seoul just 18 hours.
March 29, 2012... Noda's visit to Seoul just 18 hours Yomiuri Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stayed in Seoul just 18 hours to attend the international Nuclear Security Summit before returning due to pressing political matters, leading some to doubt whether...

NISA endorses Oi reactors' safety / Edano to visit Fukui P.
March 29, 2012... NISA endorses Oi reactors' safety / Edano to visit Fukui Prefecture as early as April to seek approval of restart Yomiuri The nuclear safety agency on Wednesday endorsed Kansai Electric Power Co.'s assessment that the idled Nos. 3 and 4...

Guidelines eyed for non-obese people.
March 29, 2012... Guidelines eyed for non-obese people Yomiuri The health ministry wants people suffering from hypertension and abnormal blood sugar levels to receive comprehensive health guidance even if they are not obese or do not have metabolic...

Transport board to reveal more details about investigation.
March 29, 2012... Transport board to reveal more details about investigations Yomiuri The Japan Transport Safety Board will voluntarily reveal more detailed information about accident investigations to the public and parties concerned, according to a plan...

Disaster poses difficulties for textbook makers.
March 29, 2012... Disaster poses difficulties for textbook makers Yomiuri High school textbook publishers appear to have had difficulties over how to handle last year's Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear crisis. According...

School textbooks feature 'hip' topics.
March 29, 2012... School textbooks feature 'hip' topics Yomiuri From pop idol groups to Internet slang, high school textbook makers have tried to stir the interest of students by using topics familiar to them. Casual topics will be used more often in...

Sharp to make intl alliance / Taiwanese electronics giant.
March 29, 2012... Sharp to make intl alliance / Taiwanese electronics giant to become largest shareholder Yomiuri Sharp Corp. has reached an agreement to enter into a capital and business alliance with Taiwan's electronic manufacturing service giant Hon Hai...

Igawa inks deal with Buffaloes.
March 29, 2012... Igawa inks deal with Buffaloes column OSAKA OSAKA--Kei Igawa, whose disappointing five-year saga with the New York Yankees ended last season, has returned to Japanese pro baseball with the Orix Buffaloes. Orix announced Wednesday it...

Ishinomaki youth prove hit with Mariners skipper.
March 29, 2012... Ishinomaki youth prove hit with Mariners skipper Jim Allen / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri Even though Opening Day is special, it will be hard to match the experience a select few from the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners...

Noda, Obama to prod N. Korea.
March 28, 2012... Noda, Obama to prod N. Korea Koichiro Ashikaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer column SEOUL SEOUL--Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed Tuesday in Seoul to cooperate in pressing North Korea to refrain...

Fukushima reactor water level shallower than thought.
March 28, 2012... Fukushima reactor water level shallower than thought Yomiuri The water level in the containment vessel of the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is only about 60 centimeters deep, far shallower than previously assumed...

AIJ head Asakawa admits faking investment reports.
March 28, 2012... AIJ head Asakawa admits faking investment reports Yomiuri AIJ Investment Advisors Co. President Kazuhiko Asakawa admitted Tuesday that his company collected money from corporate pension funds' clients and other investors using falsified...

Noda: Scrap missile launch / Prime minister pressures Nort.
March 28, 2012... Noda: Scrap missile launch / Prime minister pressures North Korea at N-security summit Koichiro Ashikaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri SEOUL SEOUL--Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Tuesday demanded that North Korea exercise...

EDITORIAL / World leaders must stop North Korea's missile.(Editorial)
March 28, 2012... EDITORIAL / World leaders must stop North Korea's missile launch Yomiuri The second Nuclear Security Summit, which is being held in Seoul, is aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism. Top leaders and cabinet members from 53 countries are...

47 foreign trainees pass nursing exam.
March 28, 2012... 47 foreign trainees pass nursing exam Yomiuri A total of 47 Indonesian and Filipino nurses passed this year's national licensing examination for nurses under a project to accept foreign trainees, the health ministry announced Monday. ...

EDITORIAL / TEPCO must shape up to regain public's trust.(Editorial)
March 28, 2012... EDITORIAL / TEPCO must shape up to regain public's trust Yomiuri Now that Tokyo Electric Power Co. has halted the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture for a regular checkup, all of TEPCO's...

Love in the air for pandas at Ueno Zoo.
March 28, 2012... Love in the air for pandas at Ueno Zoo column Tokyo's Ueno Zoo temporarily suspended the showing of two giant pandas to the public from Sunday afternoon, as the female, Shin Shin, showed signs of wanting to mate. Female pandas ovulate...

City employee list 'fabricated'.
March 28, 2012... City employee list 'fabricated' Yomiuri OSAKA OSAKA--The Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau said a list of its employees released by a city assembly member as evidence of the bureau's labor union's systematic support of the former...

Crowd funding breathes new life into art.
March 28, 2012... Crowd funding breathes new life into art Yomiuri Crowd funding, a system in which people can raise money for a project by collecting small donations from various people via the Internet, has become popular. Under crowd funding, people...

Hospitals in disaster-hit areas seek trainee doctors.
March 28, 2012... Hospitals in disaster-hit areas seek trainee doctors Yomiuri SENDAI SENDAI--Hospitals in disaster-hit regions are undertaking various measures to ensure enough trainee doctors take their residencies next year. The measures include...

Stricter food cesium limits set to kick in.
March 28, 2012... Stricter food cesium limits set to kick in Yomiuri As stricter limits on radioactive cesium in food will go into effect Sunday, authorities and institutions affected by the new limits are making final preparations. The Chiba prefectural...

2channel managed by a dummy corporation.
March 28, 2012... 2channel managed by a dummy corporation Yoichiro Tanaka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri SINGAPORE SINGAPORE--A Singaporean company supposedly in charge of managing the 2channel online bulletin board was found to be a paper...

Japan to promote EV charging method / In competition with.
March 28, 2012... Japan to promote EV charging method / In competition with Germany, U.S. over standard for international markets Yoichiro Kagawa and Takeo Miyazaki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri The government reaffirmed Monday it will...

Iwakuma roughed up.
March 28, 2012... Iwakuma roughed up The Daily Yomiuri column Seattle Mariners hurler Hisashi Iwakuma was gnashing his teeth and trying to figure out where he went wrong after his Major League Baseball Opening Series warmup start on Monday night. ...

All 17 of TEPCO's N-reactors now halted.
March 27, 2012... All 17 of TEPCO's N-reactors now halted Yomiuri All 17 of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s nuclear reactors are now suspended after TEPCO halted its last operating reactor around midnight Sunday at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in...

Number of U.S. marines in Okinawa to be adjusted.
March 27, 2012... Number of U.S. marines in Okinawa to be adjusted Yomiuri Japan and the United States have entered the final stage of negotiations on the number of U.S. marines to be moved out of Okinawa Prefecture, increasing the total from the 8,000...

EDITORIAL / Extreme curbs in hiring civil servants problem.(Editorial)
March 27, 2012... EDITORIAL / Extreme curbs in hiring civil servants problematic Yomiuri The government says a substantial reduction in the hiring of national civil servants for fiscal 2013 is part of its painful reforms. But this plan is rather superficial...

EDITORIAL / More local governments should accept disaster.(Editorial)
March 27, 2012... EDITORIAL / More local governments should accept disaster debris Yomiuri An increasing number of local governments have expressed their willingness to accept debris from the Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures. ...

New grads undaunted / Fukushima U. seniors determined to b.
March 27, 2012... New grads undaunted / Fukushima U. seniors determined to become teachers Yomiuri FUKUSHIMA FUKUSHIMA--Many of the 922 students who graduated from Fukushima University on Monday want to be teachers, and they are determined to pursue...

Disaster victim to throw MLB opening pitch.
March 27, 2012... Disaster victim to throw MLB opening pitch Yomiuri Shinji Takai, a strawberry farmer whose fields in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, were badly damaged by the March 11 tsunami, is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday...

Vendors of stimulant herb products on the rise in Tokyo.
March 27, 2012... Vendors of stimulant herb products on the rise in Tokyo Yomiuri An increasing number of youths are being hospitalized in Tokyo after inhaling herbs for their stimulatory or hallucinatory effects. An investigation by the Tokyo...

Hardships loom with TEPCO reactor shutdown.
March 27, 2012... Hardships loom with TEPCO reactor shutdown Tadaaki Inoue and Tomofumi Degawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri With Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s last nuclear reactor suspended, companies and households face dual hardships--possible...

Reactor's shutdown 'to hurt local economy'.
March 27, 2012... Reactor's shutdown 'to hurt local economy' Yomiuri NIIGATA NIIGATA--Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida on Monday again expressed fears about the safety of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which some local...

Organic EL lighting sparks race / Domestic firms rush to d.
March 27, 2012... Organic EL lighting sparks race / Domestic firms rush to develop products to counter S. Korean rivals Satoshi Ariizumi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Japanese firms are speeding up their development of lighting products using...

H.K. flop leaves Japan short of Sevens top group.
March 27, 2012... H.K. flop leaves Japan short of Sevens top group Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column Japan's build-up to this weekend's Tokyo Sevens--round seven of the HSBC Sevens World Series--got off to a dreadful start Sunday when...

Deep connections / A's Suzuki homers for 2nd straight game.
March 27, 2012... Deep connections / A's Suzuki homers for 2nd straight game but Tigers roll to sweep of MLB opponents Jim Allen / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter column Kurt Suzuki didn't wait for his relatives to arrive to put on a show. Although some of...

Subsidy eyed to promote study abroad / 40 universities cou.
March 26, 2012... Subsidy eyed to promote study abroad / 40 universities could receive 5-year grants Yomiuri The education ministry plans to establish a new financial support system for universities encouraging students to study abroad, it has been learned....

Missile shoot-down order likely Fri.
March 26, 2012... Missile shoot-down order likely Fri. Yomiuri A government order to shoot down a North Korean missile scheduled to be launched next month could come as soon as Friday, government sources said, as Japan ramps up its preparations to deal with...

EDITORIAL / Public distrust grows toward indecisive DPJ.
March 26, 2012... EDITORIAL / Public distrust grows toward indecisive DPJ Yomiuri It has energetic debates but often fails to reach vital conclusions on issues. The immature political culture of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan has once again been...

EDITORIAL / Corporate pension funds must redress finances/.(Editorial)
March 26, 2012... EDITORIAL / Corporate pension funds must redress finances Yomiuri The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission has embarked on a full-fledged investigation of AIJ Investment Advisors Co., which has racked up huge losses in assets...

Kagoshima mom held over 3 kids' deaths.
March 26, 2012... Kagoshima mom held over 3 kids' deaths column KAGOSHIMA KAGOSHIMA--A 37-year-old woman was arrested Sunday on suspicion of strangling her three children at their home in Kagoshima, police said. According to the police, Satomi...

Tomari reactor to be halted on May 5.
March 26, 2012... Tomari reactor to be halted on May 5 Yomiuri Hokkaido Electric Power Co. plans to halt operations of the No. 3 reactor at its Tomari nuclear power plant on May 5 for regular inspections, according to sources. Regular inspections are...

Aichi to accept disaster debris / Prefecture to build faci.
March 26, 2012... Aichi to accept disaster debris / Prefecture to build facilities to dispose of 500,000 tons of Tohoku waste Yomiuri NAGOYA NAGOYA--The Aichi prefectural government will build storage and incineration facilities on an artificial island...

After 50 years, fossil fans still dig at Lake Nojiri.
March 26, 2012... After 50 years, fossil fans still dig at Lake Nojiri Yomiuri NAGANO NAGANO--More than half a century after fossils of Naumann elephants were discovered at Lake Nojiri in Shinano, Nagano Prefecture, the hunt for more fossils of the...

'Lonely deaths' among elderly, disabled rising.
March 26, 2012... 'Lonely deaths' among elderly, disabled rising Eiji Kaji and Shumpei Takeuchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri The number of multiple unnoticed deaths in households in which an adult cares for an elderly parent or a family member...

Ishin no Kai takes step toward natl politics.
March 26, 2012... Ishin no Kai takes step toward natl politics Yomiuri The ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the opposition Liberal Democratic Party are wary of a political institute run by Osaka Ishin no Kai (Osaka restoration group) to field candidates...